Programmable toy board game system

ABSTRACT

An interactive programmable toy board system includes a board, means for moving a movable object on the board along a route, and programming means. The board has a surface for removably placing the movable object on the board along the route. The system also includes one or more stationary object positioned on the surface of the board. The programming means is for programming the route of the movable object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional application No. 63/134,507, filed on Jan. 6, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

This technology relates to an interactive programmable toy board game system.

BACKGROUND

Physical building block toys are well known, such as Lego®, Bristle Blocks by Battat®, Lincoln Logs®, K'nex®, and the like. Building block electronic and computer games are also known, such as Tetris®, Block Craft 3D®, and others. Both are interactive, but in different ways. A gaming system that utilizes features from both physical building block toys and from electronic/computer gaming toys is desired.

SUMMARY

A programmable electronic toy board system is shown and described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an example interactive programmable toy board game system;

FIGS. 2-12 depict several views of various structures that may be utilized with the invention.

FIG. 13 depicts a basic optical mouse sensor that may be utilized with the invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a time-of-flight proximity sensor that may be utilized with the invention;

FIG. 15 depicts a dual-motor control drive that may be utilized with the invention;

FIG. 16 depicts a brushless dc motor that may be utilized with the invention;

FIG. 17 depicts a coreless motor that may be utilized with the invention; and

FIG. 18 depicts an optical encoder that may be utilized with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In reference to the disclosure herein, for purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as, top, bottom, left, right, up, down, upper, lower, over, above, below, beneath, rear, and front, may be used. Such directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the features described herein in any manner. It is to be understood that embodiments presented herein are by way of example and not by way of limitation. The intent of the following detailed description, although discussing exemplary embodiments, is to be construed to cover all modifications, alternatives, and equivalents of the embodiments as may fall within the spirit and scope of the features described herein.

Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Additionally, as used herein, the term “exemplary” is intended to mean serving as an illustration or example of something and is not intended to indicate a preference.

The example interactive programmable toy board system 10 includes a board 12, a system for programming a route for one or more objects, and means for moving the one or more objects on the board along respective programmed routes 14. The movable objects can be programmed to move along different routes and/or routes for some objects may be similar. For instance, a first object moves along a first route while a second object moves along a different second route. The first route and the second route may intersect at one or more locations on the board and/or may be separated from each other, i.e., no intersection between the two. In addition to the moving object(s), the interactive programmable toy board system may include stationary objects 20 that the moving object navigate around.

The programmed route(s) for a moving object 30 can come from any suitable source. For instance, the route may be programmed by a user of the interactive programmable toy board system via the system, as described in detail below. In another example, a manufacturer of the interactive programmable toy board system may preprogram a route for the object. The preprogrammed route can be permanent or may be altered by the user of the interactive programmable toy board system. A mobile application on a handheld device may be used for programming movement in the future or concurrently with game play. Any type of handheld devices can be used, such as mobile devices and an associated downloadable mobile application. Programmable devices may be provided with the toy board system. Alternatively, user's may use their existing mobile devices, such as mobile phones or tablets, along with downloadable software or non-downloadable software, such as SAAS. One type of programming mechanism is a printed electronic circuit board with electronic magnetism, as known by those of skill in the art. The printed electronic circuit board may include printed circuit coils to construct a planar electromagnetic motor to maneuver small movable tiles through a series of arbitrary motions. Other programming mechanisms are also described herein, and each may alternatively be used, if preferred.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary board with multiple objects located thereon. More particularly, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of objects all located on one surface of the board. In another embodiment, one or more of the objects can be located on different surfaces. For example, a first object can be located on a first surface while a second object can be located on a second surface that is at a different plane relative to a plane of the first surface. In one embodiment, the second surface is in a plane that is parallel to the first surface. A route for a moving object can move and/or extend along a single surface and/or the route for the moving object can extend across multiple surfaces.

In FIG. 1 , a first set of objects may be stationary, and a second set of objects is movable along respective programmed routes around one or more of the stationary objects. A first object, the girl (a movable object), travels along a first route that takes the girl in a generally rectangular path under a bridge (a stationary object) and between two buildings (stationary objects). A second object, the car (a movable object), travels along a second route that takes the car in a generally rectangular path around both buildings.

The first route and the second route can be separate, identical, and/or can intersect at one or more locations on the board. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the first route and the second route intersect at two locations on the board. The toy board and/or programming can be configured to prevent the first object and the second object from occupying the same location on the board at the same time to prevent collision between the first object and the second object. For instance, the system may prevent a route that would result in a collision, as will be described in detail below.

In another embodiment, it may be desirable for two objects to occupy the same location on the board at the same time to cause a collision between the objects. For instance, two moving objects may be programmed to move along routes to collide at a specific location on the board. In another example, a moving object may be programmed to move along a route to collide with a stationary object on the board.

The board can take any suitable shape and size for accommodating one or more objects. The board can further include any number of suitable surfaces of any suitable shape and/or size for receiving the one or more objects, as described above. For instance, the surface(s) can be planar, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , and/or can include sloping or angled portions.

Moreover, the board can be formed of any suitable number of pieces arranged in any suitable pattern. Such as multiple pieces stacked on one another and/or multiple pieces arranged along a similar plane to abut one another. The pieces can be similar in shape and size and/or can vary. The board can further include structure to assist with securing an object thereon. The objects can be permanently secured to a surface of the board and/or can be removably positioned on the surface. For example, the surface of the board may include one or more pegs and the object can include a corresponding indent (or vice-versa with the object having a peg and the surface having an indent) and the peg can be inserted into the indent while the object is placed on the surface of the board. In another example, the surface of the board may include an indented footprint that is shaped to receive a footprint of a particular object. The objects may be magnetically attached to the board and one another. Any other types of connectors can be used for mating the objects to the board, as known by those of skill in the art.

The board can further include decorations, such as painted markings, on one or more surfaces of the board. For instance, a surface of the board can be painted to resemble a city block with street lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.

In addition to the board taking any suitable shape and size, any potential type of object can be placed thereon. The object type may be selected based on whether the object will be moving or stationary, a desired look of the programmable toy board system, a desired mode of operation for the programmable toy board system, etc. For instance, FIG. 1 illustrates objects comprising a bridge, a woman, a car, a cactus, and structures formed of interconnecting blocks, among others. In another example, the objects can include buildings designed to resemble a particular theme, such as a futuristic cityscape, a historic recreation, etc. In a further example, a moving object can resemble or represent a licensed character from popular culture (e.g., Captain America, Elsa from Disney, etc.) that a user can program to follow a particular route on the board.

Further, the interactive programmable toy board system can be configured to have different modes of play. For instance, a user can be tasked with completing certain objectives while objects are moving on the board independent of user programming (e.g., preprogrammed routes by a manufacturer). For example, a user may have to plan a route for an object that crosses a road as preprogrammed cars travel along routes on the road. In another example, a user may have to avoid a preprogrammed object that travels along a particular route at predetermined intervals on the board. In a further example, a user captures a preprogrammed moving object by programming a route for a second object to collide with the moving object. Other types of interaction may be programmed.

Any suitable system can be employed by a user for programming one or more routes for an object. For instance, the system may comprise an application that runs on a computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a cellphone, etc.). A user can access the application via the computing device and program a route for the object via input devices of the computing device (e.g., a keyboard). In another example, the system comprises a dedicated device that is connected to the board, either wired or wirelessly, that is dedicated for programming the route(s).

A user can employ the system to program any suitable number of routes for a select object. For instance, the user can program a single route for the object to follow each time the object moves. In another example, the user can program a plurality of routes that the object travels along on the board. Each route of the plurality of routes can be associated with a triggering event that causes the system to select that route for the moving object when the event is detected. Any suitable triggering event can be used, such as time of day, day of the week, calendar day, a mode of play, etc.

Objects and/or characters may have movable parts that may be programmed. For example, a character may have movable arms that permit it to capture or carry another object.

Buildings may include doors that open and shut. Other imaginable movements may be included in the object and/or characters when associated or not associated with the board.

Objects or characters may also be programmed to perform a function when they are not associated with the board. For example, objects or characters may sound an alarm, play music, move (provided they include a movable means), etc.

The system can further be configured to store the programmed route(s) in a profile associated with a particular user. The user can then access their profile to select a program, edit a programmed route, create a new programmed route, edit, or create a movement or function, or the like. The system can include any suitable number of profiles associated with any suitable number of users. The profiles can be accessed only at the system for a particular interactive programmable toy board system and/or at any desired system associated with an interactive programmable toy board system. For example, a user can access their profile (and by extension their routes) on a system of an interactive programmable toy board system of a second user. The system can further be configured to allow a first user to limit access to certain aspects of the system for a second user (e.g., parental controls).

The system can additionally be configured to permit a user to create different routes for different objects. More particularly, the interactive programmable toy board system can detect when multiple objects are located on the board and access the system to determine whether each object has a particular route associated therewith. Any suitable means can be used to detect which objects are located on the board, such as barcodes, identification chips in the objects (such as rfid chips), etc.

The system can be configured to present any suitable information for programming a route via a display. The information presented can include a graphical representation of a surface of the board that includes locations of stationary objects. The graphical representation may further include an illustration of a preprogrammed route for an object on the map. The graphical representation may yet further present the user programmed route for an object on the map, whether incrementally as the user creates the route or as a whole after the user indicates they are done programming the route. A means can be provided for altering routes once they are programmed.

Any suitable means can be employed for moving the object along a programmed route. For instance, an arrangement of solenoids (not shown) may be arranged below a surface of the board objects are placed on. The solenoids can be arranged in any suitable pattern for moving an object along a route. In the illustrated embodiment, the solenoids are arranged around a footprint of a stationary object (e.g., a building) to permit a moving object to navigate along a route around the building. Each solenoid would energize and de-energize as necessary to move the object along the route. The board can be any suitable thickness for storing one or more solenoids therein.

In another embodiment, the means for moving the object may comprise one or more magnetic belts (not shown). The magnetic belt may comprise a linear belt with one or more magnets secured thereon and the object includes a corresponding magnet for removably securing the object to the linear belt. The magnetic belts can be arranged and synced such that as an object reaches the end of one linear belt, the object is transferred to a second linear belt with its respective one or more magnets.

A further embodiment may comprise a planar mechanism for positioning an object in XY space (e.g., an h-bot mechanism, a t-bot mechanism, etc.) (not shown). An h-bot mechanism may have eight rotation mechanisms arranged in a generally H-shape with a cable extending therebetween. The cable can include an attachment mechanism for removably securing the object to the cable. Rotation of the rotation mechanism causes movement of the cable, and by extension the object, in an XY space.

The interactive programmable toy board system can include a plurality of planar mechanisms that are stacked on one another to control movement of the object. The planar mechanisms can be similar and/or they can vary. An example interactive programmable toy board system may include four planar mechanisms that each vary, for example.

A planar mechanism may be used that includes a pathway the object can move linearly along and a rotation mechanism for rotating the pathway that is secured to the board. In the above-described case, the rotation mechanism is secured at a corner of the board. By moving the object along the pathway and rotating the pathway, the illustrated planar mechanism can move the object along a portion of the route. This mechanism would permit the object to move along an arcuate route. In an alternative embodiment, a further planar mechanism may be used that comprises two arms connected at a pivot point and a rotation mechanism configured to independently rotate each of the arms.

One means for moving the object along a programmed route includes a means that comprises a line following robot and a screen for generating a line for the robot to follow. Any suitable screen for generating the line can be used, such as a LED or LCD screen. By using a screen, the illustrated embodiment can have multiple different line following robots that each follow a respective route for an object. To prevent the line following robots from accidentally following a wrong line, the screen can be configured to generate different colored lines for the robots to follow. For instance, where two routes intersect at a location on the board, a first line may be presented on the screen in a first color and a second line may be presented on the screen in a different second color. Each robot may include means for removably securing the object thereon (e.g., a magnet on each of the robot and the object).

FIGS. 2-12 depict a variety of structures that can be used with the playscape. The blocks represent a number of different shapes and may have photorealistic printing thereon to look like buildings or other objects. One cube, such as that shown in FIG. 3 , may be used as an entrance piece. Each side may be printed with a different style of entrance. For example, if two entrance blocks are used, the two blocks may provide a total of 8 different facades. Stickers 26, such as vinyl stickers, may be used to create a greater range of building types. Stickers may be included to permit the user to customize signage. In addition, stickers can be used to put figures in windows, such as pets, kids, etc.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the entrance cube can be inserted into another block structure, and the facade can be chosen, as desired. Various cubes can be positioned together to provide different buildings, including differently shaped buildings. For this purpose, building blocks of any type may be utilized, including brick blocks that include protuberances and recesses for accepting protuberances of other blocks. Users may be creative and build their cityscapes using the building blocks, facades, and stickers. The blocks are three-dimensional. Other shapes can be used.

FIGS. 2, 6, and 10 depict stacks of bricks that are used to make larger buildings, such as skyscrapers and hotels. The stacks of bricks can be customized to include window stickers and sign cubes. In addition, people's faces and pet's faces can be put into windows using stickers, for example.

FIGS. 7-8 show how various bricks can be connected together. Some of the bricks can include roofs, including flat roofs or slanted roofs, or facades, while others include building structure or entrances. Signs may be attached to structures or cubes can be used with stickers to provide signs.

FIG. 11 shows how a canopy of a building can be installed on or changed on a building. In FIG. 11 , the canopy shows a “Bakery” sign. This sign can be changed to another type of business, such as “Florist.” Sticks can be provided in sticker books to change the type of structures on the playscape. FIG. 12 shows several blocks coupled together. In this example, an entrance building is inserted into another structure. The building may have a “foyer” on one side and a business entry, such as a bank or bakery entry, on another side. Any type of shapes and sizes of building structures may be used. In addition, objects can also be used, such as park benches, bicycle stands, and the like can also be used, as desired.

Any type of stickers may be used. For example, vinyl or magnetic stickers can be used, among other types. The structures, objects, or characters can be made of any desired types of material, such as plastic, wood, or the like, or a combination thereof.

A possible technology architecture for a robotic world-building playset product may comprise a playmat on which users can build a cityscape by placing stackable buildings and other objects, then add robotic characters that can be programmed with stories that direct how they move through and interact with the cityscape and other characters.

The essential user story involves building a cityscape; creating a character's “story” (what the character does in a day in the city), programming the character and place it in the city; and then observing as the character goes about their “day.”

The product may have a straightforward cityscape design with two “levels” of play targeted at the 4-7-year-old audience and the 8-12-year-old audience, respectively. Users will be permitted to configure their cityscapes and characters as they see fit. One way to configure the cityscapes and characters involves the use of “skinnable” cityscapes and character designs, to support a broad range of aesthetics. Licensed scenes, such as those from movies, television or popular culture may be used, if desired. In addition, the design permits for additional technology, such as cities that light up, solar powered parts, actuated characters, and the like.

A playmat is: the “ground” surface on which a cityscape is constructed. A cityscape is: the buildings and other non-character objects placed on the playmat to form the city that the characters move and function on. Characters are: people (and potentially others) that can move through the cityscape on the playmat. Characters may be self-actuated (robotic), passive, or moved by a mechanism in the playmat. A playscape is: the playmat, cityscape, and characters. A system controller is: where the software which controls the overall system lives. This may be a user's mobile device (phone, tablet, laptop), or another device that communicates with the characters and/or playmat via Bluetooth low energy or other methods. A fiducial is: a colored or patterned label that is distinct from the rest of the visual environment that is easy for a camera to detect. A coded fiducial is: a fiducial that encodes information about the object it is attached to, or information about its absolute position.

Product requirements include the following functionality needs:

-   -   1) The system controller needs to be able to detect the position         of all characters and cityscape components, to direct characters         through their daily routines.     -   2) The characters need to move around the cityscape as directed         by the system controller—either self-actuated or actuated by the         playmat.

In one embodiment, the characters maintain <1 cm accuracy to move down “streets” in the playscape. In another embodiment, the characters can move with <2 mm accuracy through doors and navigate other tight situations. The system may also include fine-grained local navigation such that characters can move through doorways and the like; powered buildings, characters, and objects; and actuating parts, such as buildings and objects that can actuate, e.g., doors that open/close.

There are several options for actuation including:

-   -   1) Playmat moves passive characters; and/or     -   2) Passive playmat—actuated characters (robots) move themselves.

For actuated characters, the characters are robots with motors, having a power source (likely batteries). The characters may be charged wirelessly or using a power cord. The characters may communicate with the system controller (e.g., user's phone) via Bluetooth low energy or other means.

Characters may have other electronics-driven features in addition to self-actuation. In this scenario, the playmat could potentially have no electronics. This could make the playmat more robust and/or foldable, among other benefits. Character navigation may be more reliable in this scenario. However, the cost may be higher per-character, versus having the expensive technology in the playmat. This would require encoding on the playmat surface for robot navigation.

Position sensing may include one or more of the following:

-   -   1) downward-facing camera underneath robot chassis reads codes         printed on playmat (potentially infrared-reflective);     -   2) birds-eye camera (potentially the user's phone or tablet)         mounted above the playscape tracks the position of all         characters, buildings, and objects;     -   3) camera—or array of cameras—mounted under the playscape tracks         the position of all characters, buildings, and objects;     -   dense photodiode array mounted under the playscape tracks the         position of all characters, buildings, and objects.

Actuation may occur via one or more of the following:

-   -   1) low profile robot chassis with side-mounted wheels with         perpendicular casters or bumpers for stabilization; and/or     -   2) wheels, motors, and other electronics built directly into         characters, which eliminates the need for a robot base.

Passive characters may be used. In this embodiment, potential battery-less designs alleviate the user from having to charge and/or replace batteries. In addition, passive characters can provide cost savings since major electronics could be confined to the playmat. Actuation is possible but may not be as reliable or precise because of static/dynamic friction between the character and the playmat. One possible solution would be to utilize micro-vibration. The embodiment also may limit expandability of character features (lights, audio), unless power is supplied as well.

Actuation may include robots under the playscape, magnetically coupled to a character above and/or electro-magnetic actuation, e.g., coils embedded in the playmat.

Camera sensing of visually encoded positions may also be used. This embodiment involves position encoding on the playmat. This may include bar codes, qr codes, anoto livescribe encoding schemes, and/or custom encoding schemes. The size of code block may depend on resolution (dots per inch; not image size) of the imaging system. In this case, the sensor would likely need to be 50″×50″ or greater, for example, to recognize and decode the above example code block. Contrast would likely be required to reliably detect and decode the blocks. Infrared illumination and infrared-reflective printing may be required. Except for the anoto livescribe scheme, the encoding schemes can all be customized to make detection of a code block require less computational resources, for example by putting an easily detectable bounding box around them. Furthermore, qr codes have orientation encoded into them, and bar codes or a custom scheme could be similarly adapted.

Optical mouse sensors may be used. This embodiment involves the use of optical mouse sensors. Optical mouse sensors are readily available and generally inexpensive. They are generally available in a package consisting of the imaging sensor, lens, illumination source, and a digital signal processor (dsp) pre-programmed with a position tracking algorithm.

A very basic optical mouse sensor 28 will output 2d changes in x, y position and is shown in FIG. 13 . More advanced versions will also supply changes in the angle that the sensor is facing. Some also will provide output of raw pixel data if requested. Use of this technology may assist in finding and tracking the absolute position of the robot relative to the coordinate frame of the playmat. It may also avoid the problem of drift when summing relative differences in location and heading. A robust approach would likely combine the normal relative position tracking functionality, with occasional full-image scanning to detect code blocks and determine absolute position, correcting any accumulated position errors. Cmos image sensors may also be used. In this embodiment, depending on cost, a near-infrared solution may be preferred over a visible light rgb image sensor. This may provide for better immunity to ambient light issues (e.g., Robust sensing even if a character enters a building). Known image sensors have optical position tracking algorithms built in, as well as potential for template matching.

A bird's eye camera approach may also be used. In this embodiment, a camera can be mounted above the playscape which detects robots, buildings, objects, and playmat position. This embodiment could easily make use of the user's mobile phone or tablet camera. One drawback is that this embodiment would require mounting of a camera above the playscape, which could make the system feel more cumbersome to use. This embodiment may also be more difficult to detect the playmat, characters and cityscape objects without the use of coded blinking leds or coded fiducials, which may make the visual design of the system less appealing.

Another position sensing approaches may include a large array of photodiodes or leds. Characters, building and/or objects may emit a coded blink pattern from a single downwardly facing led in the chassis, or vice-versa. A large dense array of photodiodes could be positioned in the mat or dead-fronted on the playmat surface. Channels could be positioned that collimate the light to activate a single photodiode. Alternatively, a less dense array of photodiodes with no collimation structure could determine position with a brightness-based voting scheme. This would be more susceptible to crosstalk if characters are nearby; but this could be addressed by coordinating the blinking of separate characters.

Another position sensing approach may include an upward-facing camera. The camera (or array of cameras) could be positioned below the mat or dead-fronted on the playmat surface. Coded fiducials could be position on the underside of robot chassis (buildings and objects as well). This embodiment would require a very tall playmat surface to provide field of view for the camera. Waveguides may permit for the surface to be made thinner.

Possible power sources may include Ultra-wideband (uwb), Bluetooth low energy positioning, or the like. In ultra-wideband, the standard use scenario involves transceivers mounted in distant locations and must be time-synchronized over a network. This provides 10 cm position accuracy. It may be possible to increase this accuracy using off-the-shelf system components if transceivers can share a common high-frequency clock input.

Bluetooth low energy positioning may include local time of flight. Non-rf time-of-flight sensors sense distance to local objects and are inexpensive, but unlike rf signals are blocked by obstructions, and therefore cannot determine position relative to fixed locations on the playmat. A robust solution using local time-of-flight sensing would likely require a multi-agent simultaneous localization and mapping (slam) approach, where the characters must explore the playscape for some time to allow the system controller to build a map, against which the characters can determine their absolution location. Ultrasonic time of flight, E.g., Tdk ch-101 may include optical time of flight and a v16180—time-of-flight proximity sensor 32—stmicroelectronics (st.com), shown in FIG. 14 .

Motor drive approaches may be used. The most common design approaches for motor-driven systems uses low cogs. The robot drive system design may comprise two driven wheels on opposite sides of the chassis, with one or two skid bumpers at the front and/or back. A standard approach involves the use of a brushed dc motor and a geartrain, such as a qxmotor m10. A brushed dc motor generally spins fast (thousands of rpms), and as such need to be geared down. Most toys employ a custom gear train with one or two reducers—generally spur and possibly worm gears, and generally made from polyoxymethylene (pmo, or acetel) or possibly nylon.

A dual-motor control drive 34 is (e.g., Ti drv8833) may be used to convert digital speed control signals from the robot's microcontroller into dc voltages for the motors, such as shown in FIG. 15 . For applications which do not need precise motor control or the ability to reverse the direction of a motor, a simple resistive-capacitive circuit can sometimes be employed.

Because the final speed of the wheels depends on the load on the entire drive train, the actual speed of a wheel can vary significantly from the intended speed. For some applications such as line following, this is less important, and the intended behavior can be crudely driven by varying the relative speeds of the two wheels. But in applications where more precise positioning is needed, the system needs to sense how far each wheel has traveled. A common approach in the toy market is to employ small magnets mounted along the wheel or on one of the final gears in the gear train. A hall effect sensor senses these magnets as they rotate past, allowing the microcontroller to know how far the wheel has traveled and compensate via closed-loop motor control algorithms.

Another approach involves the use of stepper motors. While a brushed dc motor induces rotational velocity of the motor shaft, a stepper motor is designed to propel the shaft to a desired angular position. The advantage of this design is that the resultant position of the wheel can be controlled precisely, assuming that the load on the wheel is low enough to allow it to travel to the requested position. The disadvantage is that a more complicated control algorithm is required on the robot's microcontroller to produce smooth motion and handle conditions where the shaft does not turn as quickly as expected (at high loads).

Stepper motors 36 can be noisy and less power-efficient since they always draw full current regardless of their speed. In contrast, brushless dc motors, such as shown in FIG. 16 , are somewhat more expensive than brushed dc motors but have certain advantages.

In particular, 1) they are quieter, having no brushes rubbing against a rotating commutator; 2) they are more durable, having no brushes to wear out; 3) the brushless design also leads to less electrical noise, which can potentially cause problems with pcb communications busses, rf transmissions, or magnetometry; and 4) they are more efficient because of their continuous electromagnet coil winding.

Coreless motors 38, such as shown in FIG. 17 , can be very small in size. Coreless motors can be smaller because the electromagnetic coils are formed into a self-supporting tube structure, which the motor's permanent magnets can be mounted inside of (as opposed to standard dc motors where the coils are wound around an iron core mounted to the shaft.) Servo motors are a broad class of motors, generally incorporating a dc motor, gear train, and controller in one package, with potential associated cost savings.

In designing the drive train, several considerations include durability, space, and noise. Generally plastic (e.g., Pmo) gears are durable enough. However, if high drive loads are expected, larger gears may be used that reduce the torque, sacrificing space but maintaining cost, or metal gears, which are somewhat more expensive.

In terms of space, depending on the basic speed of the motor used, it may take several gear steps to reduce the drive speed to the necessary range. This results in more space being needed, as well as more power being required. A worm drive mechanism can be an effective way to save space, as the speed reduction is dependent on the number of teeth of the driven gear, not its relative diameter. Some drive designs forgo gears and drive a rubberized wheel directly from the shaft of the motor or one of the gears. The ozobot bit uses this technique. Care must be taken, as many dc motors are not designed to withstand significant lateral forces on their rotors and may wear out quickly. In addition, this technique may be prone to slippage under load. If the mechanical design allows space coaxial to the motor but not laterally, a planetary gear mechanism can be helpful.

In terms of noise, gear trains can introduce noise. Enclosing them can dampen this noise, as can the addition of grease, if the design allows for it. These techniques add parts cost and manufacturing cost.

Motion encoding is another consideration. Absent any external feedback of the robot's position, monitoring of the distance traveled by each wheel is required for accurate navigation. The common approaches are: drive current monitoring; optical rotary encoders; and magnetic rotary encoders.

Drive current monitoring relies on the assumption that the robot is moving along a known, flat surface, unimpeded. Generally, the motors will consume a known amount of current proportional to the intended speed of the robot. By monitoring the deviation of this current, the system can correct for small variations in the intended speed. This is the least expensive of the options and requires only an analog-to-digital converter input on the robot's microcontroller.

Magnetic encoders use one or more small magnets mounted to a drive shaft at some point along the gear train, along with a hall effect sensor which detects when the magnet passes by. Each pass of the magnet is equivalent to a known amount of rotation and is directly proportional to wheel travel.

Optical encoders 40, such as shown in FIG. 18 , incorporate a slotted disc mounted to a drive shaft at some point along the gear train, and uses a light source and photo detector to observe the rotation of the disc. This rotation is, again, proportional to the distance traveled by the wheel. Optical encoding requires more components than magnetic encoders and is more susceptible to problems due to dust ingress but has the potential advantage of encoding absolute orientation of the drive shaft—making it less susceptible to missed readings.

Each of these methods integrates the distance traveled over time to infer absolute position of the robot, and all are susceptible to accumulation of errors. This accumulation will be worse when the system's understanding of the orientation of the robot relative to the playscape is off. Where accurate absolute positioning is needed, the robot will need sensors that can locate it relative to known points on the playmat.

Several of the camera sensing and absolute positioning approaches described in previous sections could potentially reduce the need for motion encoding.

An alternative design may include phone-based augmented reality. Robots (and skins), buildings, and the playmat can be designed with visual cues that enable accurate tracking via arkit (ios) and/or arcore (android).

Another embodiment provides the potential to stream first-person video from characters.

It is envisioned that as technology in the micro-robotic/robotics fields improves, said improvements may be incorporated into the present invention. This may result in other improvements, such as improvements in form factor, speed, accuracy, and the like. As discussed above, any type of programmable device may be utilized with the invention to program the movement and features of the various parts of the system. The programmable devices may include software, memory, programs, input/output screens, drivers, operating systems, controllers, and the like, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,760,799 and 9,914,048, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference, and as known by those of skill in the art. Additional software and programs may be added to the system via any known means.

According to the invention, an interactive programmable toy board system includes a board with a surface for removably placing a movable object to move along a route thereon, a means for moving the object on the surface of the board along the route, one or more stationary objects positioned on the surface of the board, and programming means for programming the route.

The means for moving the movable object on the surface of the board along the route may include movable magnetic tiles. The movable magnetic tiles may be coupled to the movable object.

The programming means may include a printed circuit board with electronic magnetism. The programming means may include printed circuit coils configured as a planar electromagnetic motor. The programming means may include printed circuit coils configured as a planar electromagnetic motor and may further comprise movable tiles, with the electromagnetic motor configured to move the movable tiles magnetically.

The route may include more than one route and the movable object may include more than one route, with each route being coupled to the movable object. The system may permit programming the route for the movable object. The system may permit the route of the movable object to be preprogrammed. The system may be programmable by a mobile device that includes downloadable software.

The board with a surface may include multiple surfaces positioned at multiple elevations, and one or more movable objects may be coupled to each of the multiple surfaces. The surface of the board may be planar, or the surface of the board may be sloped.

The movable object may be magnetically coupled to the board. The stationary object may be magnetically coupled or mechanically coupled to the board. The board may include multiple boards, each of which is planar, and the multiple boards may be stacked on one another to control movement of the object.

The means for moving the object on the surface of the board along the route includes a movement mechanism that permits the movable object to move in an arcuate and a straight path. The system may include a system controller for detecting the position of the movable object on the board. The movable object may be self-propelled.

The means for moving the object may include a position sensor and the position sensor may be one or more of a camera, a photodiode, and an LED. The means for moving the object may include an actuation mechanism and the actuation mechanism may include one or more of a robot chassis with wheels, wheels, motors, casters, and bumpers.

The term “substantially,” if used herein, is a term of estimation.

While various features of the claimed invention are presented above, it should be understood that the features may be used singly or in any combination thereof. Therefore, the claimed invention is not to be limited to only the specific embodiments depicted herein.

Further, it should be understood that variations and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. The embodiments described herein are exemplary of the claimed invention. The disclosure may enable those skilled in the art to make and use embodiments having alternative elements that likewise correspond to the elements of the invention recited in the claims. The intended scope of the invention may thus include other embodiments that do not differ or that insubstantially differ from the literal language of the claims. The scope of the present invention is accordingly defined as set forth in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An interactive programmable toy board system comprising: a board with a surface for removably placing a movable object to move along a route thereon; means for moving the object on the surface of the board along the route; one or more stationary objects positioned on the surface of the board; and programming means for programming the route.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for moving the movable object on the surface of the board along the route includes movable magnetic tiles.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the movable magnetic tiles are coupled to the movable object.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the programming means includes a printed circuit board with electronic magnetism.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the programming means includes printed circuit coils configured as a planar electromagnetic motor and further comprising movable tiles, with the electromagnetic motor configured to move the movable tiles magnetically.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the route comprises more than one route and the movable object comprises more than one route, with each route being coupled to an object.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of: the system permits programming the route for the movable object; and the route of the movable object is preprogrammed.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is programmable by a mobile device that includes downloadable software.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the board with a surface comprises multiple surfaces positioned at multiple elevations, and one or more movable objects may be coupled to each of the multiple surfaces.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the surface of the board is planar, or the surface of the board is sloped.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable object is magnetically coupled to the board.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary object is magnetically coupled or mechanically coupled to the board.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the board of the system comprises multiple boards, each of which is planar, and the multiple boards are stacked on one another to control movement of the object.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for moving the object on the surface of the board along the route includes a movement mechanism that permits the movable object to move in an arcuate and a straight path.
 15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system controller for detecting the position of the movable object on the board.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable object is self-propelled.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for moving the object comprises a position sensor and the position sensor is one or more of a camera, a photodiode, and an LED.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for moving the object comprises an actuation mechanism and the actuation mechanism comprises one or more of a robot chassis with wheels, wheels, motors, casters, and bumpers.
 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the programming means includes printed circuit coils configured as a planar electromagnetic motor. 